Em7

Em7 is E, G, B and D, a minor seventh. The shape this page opens on is written 020000, lowest string first.

Also written Emin7, E-7 or E minor 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Em7 on the guitar, and 39 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Em7 belongs to C major (the iii), D major (the ii), E minor (the i), G major (the vi), A minor (the v) and B minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 020000, 022030, 022433, xx2433, x7575x, x7578x, x79787, x-x-9-9-8-10, 12-14-12-12-12-12.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Em7 has 055xxx, x757xx, 12-10-12-x-x-x, x7x03x, x7x78x, 12-x-12-12-x-x, 0x00xx, x-7-12-12-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Em7 has x2203x, 0200xx, xx2433, x5545x, 7757xx, xx5757, x7978x, x-x-9-9-8-10.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Em7 has 3x243x, x2x030, x5x453, 7x575x, x7x787, 10-x-9-9-8-x, x-10-x-9-12-10, x-14-x-12-15-12.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Em7 has 002433, x7570x, 040005, 00002x, 02002x, 0x0002.

Tensions. A shell of Em7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (F#), the 11 (A) and the 13 (C#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.